Lost and Found
by xSweetEternityx
Summary: A young boy lives with the shadow of his past lurking behind him, waiting for an opportunity to pull him back into the nightmare he had escaped. But with the help of a stranger, he determines that he needs to confront his fears in order to keep what is precious to him. A super-belated birthday fanfic for Eletha Landon.


**A/N: Well, I think I broke my record for how long it has been since my last update. The idea for this one has been on my mind for a while and I wanted to dedicate it to my dear friend, Eletha Landon, who has stuck with me for the past four years. You have no idea how grateful I am for having such an awesome friend like her to bounce ideas off of, share interests with and well, just talk about the most randomest things. This fanfic is supposed to have been a belated birthday, but considering how I broke that deadline spectacularly, I will just say that this is a quarter-birthday fanfic instead.**

 **PS. Happy Halloween!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Darkest Powers**

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 **Lost and Found**

(A Darkest Powers fanfic)

 _He ruined everything._

The boy's hands clenched around the chains at the thought. The coolness of the metal pressed against his skin as the blood rushed from his knuckles. Subconsciously, he could hear children running around the playground, their voices carefree and delighted. Watchful guardians stayed close by, not too close that they would interfere with their children's entertainment but just close enough to be there if anything happened. If the boy stared hard enough, he could almost see an Asian man in his mid-thirties looking up from a book to smile at his son, who shared his blazing grin. The only difference was that the boy was no more than 6 years old and had hair the colour of wheat.

The man was his _dad_ and the younger boy was his _brother_.

Before, when he had lived at the lab, these words hadn't meant anything to him. There had been other boys at the lab, but they hadn't meant anything to him either. Mostly, he stayed out of their way. He may have been the biggest, but it only made him stand out as the other three stuck together. Only until one day, they were gone. And it was just him in that white room that smelled like disinfectant.

Then the man came, as he sometimes did, and said the words that changed everything:

" _Derek, would you like to come live with me and Simon?_ "

The boy liked Simon, a smaller child who always had a big smile on his face. They would play together sometimes when Simon visited with his father. Derek also liked the man. He was different from the other grownups in white coats that watched him behind the windows and were constantly scribbling something into their books. So when the man, someone he would later learn to call "dad", held out his hand, Derek took it.

Everything had felt like a dream since. It had been a little terrifying at the start with how little he knew about the world outside the lab, but like with all things, Derek liked the challenge. And so, he slowly grew accustomed to his new life, eager to leave his past behind.

However, it always hovered nearby, like a shadow he couldn't get rid of. He knew that with one mistake, going back to the lab and the probing grownups was a definite possibility. So Derek had always been careful to be a good boy.

It all went well until today.

When the bell rung to signal the end of lunch, Simon and Derek dashed back to the lineup of kids at the door. Flushed cheeks and wide smiles, the boys were in high spirits from their game of Man Hunt. Simon gave Derek a good natured shove as the children trickled into the school. Derek recovered and gave him a nudge in return. Back and forth it went until Simon tried to slip in front of Derek in the line. Then Derek shoved harder than he expected, making Simon stumble into the kid behind him. Before Derek could react, Simon lost his footing and fell against the water fountain.

The boy felt everything around him slow down. Blood splurted from Simon's nose as he winced from the pain. The teacher pushing him aside as she ran to inspect the injury. The murmurs of the children around him. A deafening roar sounded in his head as another teacher waved everyone back into the classroom and took Simon away. The boy stood there, rooted to the ground, as his brother left for the infirmary, droplets of blood trailing after him.

His body felt numb as a feeling of dread settled over him. What had he just done?

"Derek?" the teacher called. "You okay, hun?"

The boy said nothing as he clenched and unclenched his fists. The teacher came over to his side and gave him a reassuring smile. "It was an accident. They happen sometimes. Simon will be just fine, so don't you worry a thing," she said.

He barely registered the words as she knelt down in front of him. His teacher was fairly young compared to the rest and had a kind face. Even when someone did something wrong, she never got mad and Derek liked that. But now, he wished she would yell at him instead. When he didn't reply, a worried crease appeared between her brows but it went away just as quickly as it came. She placed her hand against the boy's back and steered him in the direction of the classroom. "Let's go on in and do some math. You like math, right?"

It seemed that she wanted a response of some kind so Derek nodded, knowing that she would leave him alone after that. And she did.

Their afternoon lessons continued but everything sounded like undecipherable noise, as if someone was switching between radio stations. Even the numbers on Derek's math sheets swam around in circles until he shut his eyes. But that just made it worse because he could see Simon falling against the water fountain, the memory ingrained in his mind.

Later in the afternoon, Simon still didn't return and the guilt deepened to the point that it felt like choking him. It was all his fault that his brother got hurt. Simon, who had been nothing but kind to him ever since he started to live with him and his father. Was he going to be mad? Of course he was. Anyone would be. But that was nothing to compared to what their dad was going to say. Ice filled his blood at the imagined horror on his dad's face when he got the news. But even then, it wouldn't be as bad as the way he would look at Derek right after.

A look of horror and fear.

" _Dangerous,_ " the nurses had whispered when they didn't know he was listening.

Derek hadn't thought he was dangerous. But today proved him wrong. And his dad would finally realize the mistake he made when he brought Derek to live with him. So, to prevent him from really hurting Simon, his dad was going to take him back to the lab.

Derek's gut seized with an unspeakable fear. He couldn't return to the lab. He just couldn't. Any place was better than that place. Even if it meant that he couldn't live with Simon and his dad anymore. An overwhelming wave of sadness washed over him at the idea of leaving his home behind. But he made up his mind; he wasn't going back to that lab.

When the bell rung to signal the end of the day, Derek bolted as fast as he could out the door. He had to go before his dad came to pick them up. The teacher shouted something after him, but Derek didn't stop. His breath chugged like a train as he willed his legs to carry him as far away from the school as he could.

He kept on running even when the school disappeared out of sight. The boy didn't know where he was going, only that he had to get away. When he finally slowed, a playground near a couple of apartment complexes appeared before him. Before he could think twice about it, he made his way over.

From what he could tell, it wasn't the nicest playground. Paint peeled from the steel poles that kept everything together. The once colourful twisting slide faded to a pale yellow from years of Mother Nature's abuse. The chains on the swings were rusty and creaked as they swung gently in the breeze. But even then, it looked like it was a playground that had been well loved and filled with happy memories. There was a handful of children about his age running around excitedly as they played some sort of game, but Derek didn't join them. Instead, he crossed the gravel terrain over to the dilapidated swing set, each step heavy and awful.

And so, that was where he stayed.

The boy didn't know how much time had passed, only that the shadows on the ground shifted slowly and the kids came and left. Hunger gnawed at him and he realized belatedly that he had left his backpack, which held a granola bar that he saved from recess, back in the classroom. His hands clenched around the rusty chains again, squeezing hard as if the pain could distract him from his hunger. But that was only a small glimpse at the problem at hand. What was he going to do about food? He didn't have any money and had no one he could turn to.

The weight of everything bore down on the young boy's shoulders as the heavy reality set in. There would no longer be any warm meals prepared by his dad. No more of Simon's fussing whenever their dad gave them something Simon didn't like to eat. No more games with Simon. He would even miss Simon's gentle snoring at night when he laid in bed awake. But those things were only small pieces of the bigger picture.

There was going to be no more Dad and Simon.

A few droplets of water fell onto his jeans and the young child was surprised to see them coming from him. Tears blurred his vision as the gravel in front of him turned into a grey mess. He didn't cry. Ever. Even when the other boys back at the lab cried to get what they want, Derek never did it. He didn't understand why people cried. Or how they thought it would help. But right now, when his chest seized with an unspeakable force, it hurt. It hurt so much that he couldn't stop the tears from flowing.

He sniffled softly, not wanting to attract the attention of any grownups, but it didn't matter anyway. No one was paying attention to him, or so he initially thought. Then he felt the prickling sensation of being watched. The boy's head jerked up accusingly to meet the startled eyes of a little girl watching him.

Hastily, Derek wiped away his tears with his sleeve, embarrassed that someone had seen him cry, even if it was just a little girl. When he looked back at her, she had ducked her head. A slight blush coloured her cheeks, highlighting her otherwise pale face. The girl was at least a year younger than he was and was even smaller than Simon. Like him, she sat alone on the swing, her feet dangling a little off the ground.

Shyly, she raised her eyes beneath that reddish curtain of blonde hair and met his gaze. Derek waited for her to look away, as most kids did when he stared back at them. But she didn't. Instead, he saw a flicker of curiosity in those light blue eyes accompanied by something he hadn't expected.

 _Concern_.

The boy averted his gaze as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, not knowing why someone he didn't know would be thinking about him. Only Simon and his dad had looked at him like that.

A soft pattering of footsteps interrupted his thoughts and he glanced up to see the girl approach him albeit hesitantly. She froze in her steps when he looked at her. With all of the previous kids, he had glared at them when they had come too close and they would scatter away like birds. However, he didn't have the energy to do that now. Nor did he felt like doing it for some reason.

When he didn't say anything, the girl took that as encouragement and hopped onto the swing next to him. The entire swing set trembled for a brief moment but stilled shortly after. The boy watched as her feet rested in the air, a few inches from the gravel. They sat in silence, neither one of them speaking. Distantly, he was aware of the other children playing some sort of game on the playground, but his thoughts drifted over to the girl. Instead of joining the others, she had chosen to sit by him.

 _Why_? He wanted to ask, but couldn't bring himself to say it. Instead, he focused on the gravel in front of him, toeing the ground aimlessly, drawing a shapeless figure.

"Are you okay?" A quiet voice asked after a long stretch of silence..

The boy froze. Her voice was barely louder than a whisper, but with his hearing, he heard her perfectly. There was a slight tremor in her voice, as though unsure of her place to ask. And it wasn't. He didn't know this girl. A small trickle of anger flitted through him at the thought. Who did this girl think she was? He was none of her business so why was she being so nosy? Normally, he would have snapped at anyone else for being so irritating, but he didn't have the energy to do it now. And that made him even more annoyed.

But as the metal of the chains bit into his palms, his anger faded as easily as water slipping through his fingers. Suddenly, after everything that had happened today, Derek just felt so tired. And hungry. There was no place for him to go.

 _Never again_.

Tears stung his eyes again and he stubbornly refused to let them form. He wasn't okay and he didn't know what to do about it, but he wasn't going to cry again. Crying was a form of weakness and he needed to be strong if he was going to make it on his own. But it would be a lot easier if his stomach wasn't growling so loudly that he was sure that the girl could hear it too.

"Here."

In the corner of his eye, the boy watched as the girl thrust something in his direction. Slowly, he lifted his gaze and saw a crumpled blue wrapper sitting on the palm of her hand. His eyes widened at the offer. The little package was no bigger than a child's hand, but what was glorious about it was that it had a picture of gummy fruits in various shapes and colours. It wasn't going to fill his stomach but his mouth watered at the thought of finally eating something. But still, he hesitated.

The girl's cheeks flushed as her hand trembled slightly. "M-my mommy says everything feels b-better when you eat something," she stammered quietly.

She looked a little uncertain of herself as she offered him the snack. Derek didn't know what to feel as he watched this little girl, who couldn't be older than five, bravely approach him despite being as nervous as a mouse. Even though she knew nothing about him, this girl knew enough that something was troubling him. Derek swallowed thickly as he reached for the blue wrapper. "Thank you," he whispered, his voice raw.

The girl flushed a darker shade of pink as she gave him a small shy smile, one that he found returning. Derek ripped open the wrapper and ate a gummy, savouring the delicious fruity taste of strawberries. He continued to eat until the package emptied. Although he was nowhere full, he felt better than he had the whole afternoon.

The two of them sat in silence as the rest of the children on the playground finished up their games and left one by one. Before long, it was just him and the girl. And the grownup that looked like an older version of the girl, presumably her mother. The lady looked up from the novel she had been reading and gave the girl a 5 minute signal from the grownups' bench. Beside him, the girl nodded and Derek's heart sank a little. It was her turn to leave as well and before long, he was going to be alone again.

It didn't matter that he knew nothing about the girl and vice versa. Her small act of kindness made him realize that anything was better than being all by himself. But most of all, he wanted his dad and Simon.

"Why are you by yourself?" the girl asked softly as she scanned the empty playground.

The boy looked down at the spot of earth that he had uncovered with his feet. "I'm lost," he whispered.

"D-do you want to be lost?"

There was some confusion in her timid voice, as if she couldn't understand why anyone wanted to get lost.

No matter what he had thought earlier, his heart wanted one thing. _Home_. "No."

"Then it's easy," the girl said as Derek glanced at her sharply, his brow furrowed in confusion. The girl hopped off the swing and turned back to face him. "You just need to be found. Then you won't be lost anymore."

The boy stared at her as she claimed her mother's outstretched hand with her own small one. Not too long ago, a hand just like that one was offered to him and he remember his feelings when he took feelings of hope and warmth that had lit the fire within him. The feelings that he still had now.

Yes, he was still afraid of how his dad and brother would react, but he would never know unless he confronted them directly. Just like the girl did when she approached him. No matter the outcome, he loved his family too much to go down without a fight.

With his resolve set in his mind, Derek hopped off the swing and took a deep breath. He needed to get home and-

"Derek!"

The boy jumped. It was a voice he would know anywhere. With his heart in his throat, the boy turned to see his father racing towards him, his hair and clothes dishevelled. Words were lost in his throat as the man engulfed his older son with a bone crushing hug. "I swear, Derek. You gave me a heart attack when you disappeared like that," his father said breathlessly. "Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again."

The young child's mind was reeling at this display of a man whose usual cool and calm demeanour who nowhere in sight. "H-how did you-?" the boy uttered softly.

The man released his son but kept a firm hand on the boy's shoulders, as if he was afraid that the boy would vanish from his sight. "Sensing spell. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. But right now, thank god, it worked," Kit explained.

His wry smile faded as a more serious expression took its place. "Why did you take off like that?"

Derek glanced down at his shoes, not sure how to answer the question. As he struggled to come up with an answer, a pattering of lighter footsteps slapped the pavement and came to a halt in front of him. Surprised, Derek looked up to see Simon, his face flushed from running. He scanned his brother's face, looking for any injuries he had caused, but there were none to be found. "Y-you're okay," Derek rasped as relief threatened to buckle his knees.

Anger flitted in Simon's eyes as he bore down on his brother. "Of course I'm okay! It was just a stupid nose bleed. But the nurse made me sit out of class just in case," he grumbled. "But you…"

Derek flinched at the accusatory tone in the younger boy's voice. He had been right; Simon was really mad. "I-I'm sorry that I hurt you! Everything was my fault…" he said miserably.

Simon stomped his foot furiously. " _Listen_! It was my fault for acting stupid in the first place. _I_ should be the one apologizing for getting you into trouble."

Kit placed a hand on his younger son's shoulders. "That's enough, Simon. No one is getting in trouble, okay? Sure, maybe it wasn't the greatest idea to be goofing off when you weren't supposed to, but accidents happen. We just need to take better care in keeping those accidents to a minimum," he said calmly.

Derek felt a flicker of hope light up in his chest as he glanced at his father. "So, you're not t-taking me back to the lab…?" he asked tentatively.

The older man's eyes widened as he stared at the boy, stunned to silence. "What are you talking-?" He bit off the words as realization dawned upon him. Kit quickly overcame his shock and crouched down to look directly at his older son. "Is _that_ why you ran away? You thought we would take you back to the lab?"

The boy shifted uncomfortably under his father's scrutinizing gaze. Now that someone had spoken his fears out loud, it seemed a little embarrassing. Unable to form words, he gave a meek nod as he looked down at his feet. Instead of replying, Kit brought the boy into another crushing embrace. Derek blinked at this sudden action. While the older man had always been kind and gentle with him, it was the first time the boy had seen through his father's calm exterior. "D-dad?" he asked softly, barely daring to breathe.

"Such a thing has never entered my mind. Not even once. You're my son, Derek and nothing you do will change that."

His father's words resonated in the boy's ears and he felt a nameless something blossom in his chest. It was a mixture of everything that was good in his life and the sensation nearly overwhelmed him. It was like one of the roller coaster rides his dad and Simon had once took him to. The feeling of anxiousness and anticipation as the car went up the steep slope, knowing that something amazing and exhilarating was going to happen. And that he was going to experience it all.

Trembling slightly, the boy wrapped his arms around his dad, whispering the same two words as he had once done not too long ago.

" _Thank you_."

The hug lasted for another second longer and finally, his dad released him slowly. Kit opened his mouth again to say something but instead was interrupted by his younger son. "-Yeah, you're stuck with me too, Derek, whether you like it or not. We're gonna be together forever and ever and ever and you better not forget it!" Simon huffed impatiently.

A slow smile spread across Derek's face until it stretched from ear to ear. "Okay."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Well, now that _that's_ settled, how about we get some ice cream and head on home?" His father asked.

 _Home_.

Had a word ever sounded better? _No_. Thought the boy. That wasn't it.

As his father took his left hand and his brother took his right, Derek decided to change his mind. It wasn't the physical location that he was attached to, but rather these two people right here. His two most favourite people in the entire world.

The boy didn't know what he had done in his young life to deserve such goodness, but he certainly wasn't going to question it. Wherever his family was going to go, he was going to go with them and _that_ was a promise.

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 **A/N: The idea came from Dangerous, Derek's first novella. He had mentioned how he had wanted to run away when he had freaked out from accidentally hurting Simon. I had always wanted Derek to unknowingly meet the girl who would later have a huge impact on his life and not know it. This seemed as good of a place as any to work with. Once again, this is a fanfic dedicated to Eletha Landon. ****Sometimes, when I go through a particularly hard day, a simple message from her brightens my entire day and I can't tell you how much that means to me. So I really hope that you enjoyed this one!**

 **-posted: October 31, 2015**


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